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By Jonathan Klotz | Published
Great science fiction is both a representation of its time and a window to the world of the future. 73 years after its debut, The day the Earth stopped remains unfortunately relevant. Released during the early years of the Cold War, the sci-fi classic explores what happens when an alien arrives in peace and is bewildered by our fractured world and the man-made divisions between us. The classic story has been told again and again, but the original 1951 film remains the best and serves as a reminder that humanity has not advanced as far as we would like to think.
An iconic science fiction film
Even if you’ve never seen The day the Earth stoppedwill acknowledge the opening with a flying saucer landing in Washington, DC, as the military immediately surrounds it.. Klaatu, a stern-looking humanoid alien played by Michael Rennie, may look human, but it’s clear he’s an alien from the way he moves and talks, while his bodyguard, Gort, is a tall, imposing robot who silently protects to his teacher. Announcing that he has a message for all of humanity’s leaders, Klaatu is shot almost immediately, prompting Gort to attack the soldiers in a moment that doesn’t need modern special effects to get the message across.
Klaatu ends up meeting Helen Benson and her son, Bobby, during his mission to better understand humanity. The young man takes the alien around the city, answering his questions about Earth and humanity along the way, which raises the theme of war. That is the core of the message found in The day the Earth stoppedAs Klaatu explains a few scenes later to a talented scientist, the aggressive nature of Earthlings, combined with the recent arrival of nuclear power, has set Earth a target to contain humans.
A timeless allegory
The day the Earth stopped As expected, it ends with Klaatu, disappointed in humanity, warning the gathered crowd to put aside their warlike nature, abandon their current path of nuclear annihilation, or be destroyed. It is significantly different from the original story, Farewell to the Mastera short story written by Harry Bates that was published in 1940, before Oppenheimer helped invent the atomic bomb, but by leaning into a Cold War allegory, the 1951 film became a timeless allegory. There’s little action and rudimentary special effects, but Michael Rennie’s performance as Klaatu is haunting and set a template for aliens that Hollywood still uses today.
When I was a child and first showed interest in science fiction, The day the Earth stopped was one of the tapes my mom rented from the local library so I could watch the kind of science fiction she grew up with. Even then, I was exposed to countless parodies and homages to the film, from the concept of an alien coming in peace to speak to the leaders and Gort from Saturday Morning Cartoons. However, the dark nature of the film, as well as being in black and white, mesmerized me and remains one of my favorites today.
The soulless remake
The day the Earth stopped was remade in 2008 with Keanu Reeves as Klaatu, and the theme of Cold War nuclear annihilation was discarded to be replaced by an environmental message. Unfortunately, despite an all-star cast including Jennifer Connolly, John Cleese, Jon Hamm and Kathy Bates, the remake went too far to become a sci-fi spectacle. It looks amazing and was a minor hit in theaters, but there’s a reason it’s 21 percent rotten on Rotten Tomatoes while the original is 95 percent fresh: It lacks the heart of the original script.
In fact, the 2008 film is a great argument against remaking classic films. The day the Earth stopped is steeped in Cold War paranoia, but even decades removed from the particular moment that gave rise to it, the issue of man’s capacity for violence remains relevant. So why do it all over again for a new generation if the film’s true purpose, as an allegory of war, is sidelined for CGI?
An essential classic
There are some films that I think are necessary to see as part of the indispensable cinematic canon, but The day the Earth stopped is one of them, in 1995, it was added to the National Film Registry for being culturally significant, which means I’m not alone in this opinion. Especially for sci-fi fans, the original film can be seen as a near-perfect film that encompasses the best of the genre. Science fiction, at its best, inspires us to do better. Klaatu baradu nikto.
The day the Earth stopped is only available to stream as part of Video on Demand via Amazon Prime, GooglePlay, AppleTVand Fandango at home. and look at the GenreVision Podcast Episode in both versions!
